Mixed Media Artist

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Red Heads …LOVE TO PAINT THEM

Don't-Look-Away
side Don't Look Away
Don’t Look Away
16″x12″ mixed media painting on clayboard profile stretcher (sides are painted scarlet).
$400 US+ shipping
Please contact me availability (maria@mariapacewynters.com)

The women that I have been painting as of late are definitely a little homage to Klimt and even Toulouse-Lautrec … they both loved big haired red heads! I have often mentioned how much I love to paint red hair. My daughter, Imogen, whom I use as a model quite frequently, often scowls at me (like only a six year old can) and protests:

” Mum! My hair is NOT red!”. (Imagine hands on hips, eyes rolling around her head, lips twisted, nose crinkled.)

I won’t be surprise if she doesn’t dye her hair when she gets older. It isn’t that I don’t like other hair colours but I find in a painting red hair is so powerful! Black and brown can look a little flat, blonde can take on green tones. But red … ORANGE …. it just POPS. I lo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Ve it.

Oh, and I really love this clayboard material this painting is on. It is especially made for mixed media. Great for drawing on, scratching into, collage on, painting on! It is awesome. Also, the stretcher is museum quality. Just beautifully made. The aren’t cheap but boy are they worth it.

Orange Geisha

Orange-Geisha
6″x9″ mixed media painting on paper

SOLD

Harvest Crow

Harvest-Crow
11″x14″ mixed media painting on canvas.

Thomas –

Thomas-2

This is a 11.5″x15.5″ mixed media portrait on 100% rag paper.

Today when I was going to pick up my oldest daughter from the School bus, my three year old was wearing the most interesting ensemble. Tan cords, brown leather knee high boots, a pink tee and a tan faux lambswool coat. Sounds fine except I have neglected to mention the pink princess dress and a pointy princess hat (pink of course) with flowing veil.

KIDS DO LOVE TO DRESS UP!

Here is Thomas. He also loves to dress up. Over half of the reference photos I was sent to paint his portrait were of him dressed either as Batman or Superman. It was his mother’s idea to have him wearing a cape and I instantly thought it would be great.

I chose Superman strictly because of colour. ( I do like red.) Personally, when it comes to superheros no one can hold a candle to Aquaman. Perhaps because he is mainly under water. ( Get it? hold a candle? … under water? … ha, ha … geesh … tough crowd).

However, I am not sure if Thomas even knows who Aquaman is. Is he still around, I don’t have boys so I don’t know. I am fairly certain that he never wore a cape, it just wouldn’t have been practical. I do know but I have always been partial to the fair haired male (except you Mr. Depp, you are fine as you are) and perhaps this is where me liking Aquaman stemmed from, OR PERHAPS, (OMG) me liking fair haired men stemmed from Aquaman!

Now that I think of it, I do remember when I was five, watching Super Friends while my Mum made dinner, standing in front of the TV, eating a raw carrot and crushing on Aquaman. It is one of those weird vivid memories that up until now seemed so insignificant. Perhaps, he was my first crush! WOW.

Hey,come to think of it, do you think Aquaman looks like Chris?

photo copyaquaman

Harvest Rain

Harvest Rain
16″x16″ mixed media painting on wrap around canvas
$400.00 US + $30 shipping
This painting will be on exhibit from Nov 5-16. Shipping would not be until after that time.

harvest Rain aboveHarvest Rain belowHarvest Rain side

Don’t Look Back …

Don't-Look-Back
5″x7″ mixed media painting on paper.

… it’s never a good idea.

A painting/photo of a happy person makes me happy. I may even wonder what made them so happy. It will be a passing thought:
‘mmm, what were they so happy about’.
And then I will move on.

A sad person stops me longer. I just can’t help it. Perhaps it is the voyeur in me. I just feel this incredible curiosity well up inside me.
Why are you feeling that way? What happened to you? Is it a fleeting sadness or is it a deep and all encompassing sadness that you can no longer hide. Not for one more second.

Perhaps that is why Mona Lisa has intrigued people for so long. I know she is smiling but I have always felt her smile to be kind of sad in a way. She looks off to the side, kind of longingly. To me, it is a bittersweet smile. Someone with a secret. Maybe a dark secret that she doesn’t want to keep anymore. If she was simply smiling we wouldn’t even give it a second thought. There is something a little dark in that smile.

I have looked back many times in my life. I guess we all have. Let’s face it, if the world was made up of billions of Eckhart Tolles it would be a mighty weird place. I am not saying it would not be a better but it would be weird.

Looking back has never helped me, nor has looking forward, for that matter. Both create great anxiety in me and are extremely unhelpful when I am trying to be creative or make an important decision
.
The biggest mistakes I have made in my life have come about during times when I was either too focused on the future or on the past.
But there I go again, looking back.
So, I must stop.
NOW.

Available
on etsy

Dummies

Dummies-web

5″x7″ Mixed media painting on Paper.

SOLD

I watch way too much TV, I will be honest, but there are few programs that I actually enjoy watching.

I LOVE WATCHING PROJECT RUNWAY!

It is so much fun to watch and it is a show that Chris loves too, so we watch it is a couple.

I really love fashion and at one time in my life, really wanted to be a fashion designer/costume designer.
Didn’t happen, can’t sew worth a bean (and boy can these people sew!). So I live vicariously through them via reality TV. Works for me!

Speaking of Reality TV, have you heard of Star Portrait? My mum was telling me about it. It sounds fabulous. Right up my ally! Anyway, I haven’t watched it but plan on it. It is on Bravo and three portrait artists have two weeks to finish a portrait of a famous Canadian.

(YES, THERE ARE SO FAMOUS CANADIANS!)

I like the fact that it is not set up like big brother. Can you imagine a whole bunch of portrait artist living in a house together for weeks on end? No?

ARTIST #1: Did you see the way she painted his nose! Who the hell does she think she is!

ARTIST #2: Ya, well I heard that she only cleans her paint water once a week.

ARTIST #1 NO!

Not exactly riveting stuff.

Night Of Artists Nov 5, 6, 7 2009- Art Barns, Edmonton

Self--Portrait
mixed media on paper, 10″x13″ (GUESS WHO?)

As some of you may know, I have been accepted into Night Of Arists this year. This is very exciting for me. I remember, ages ago, traveling around Alberta while Chris performed at several NOA events. It was always a great night and yet, a little hard for me. Here were all of these great artists doing their thing. Putting themselves out there and I was too much of a coward to let anyone see my art. I really did hide away and sometimes would go months if not more without drawing or painting at all. Can you say envious? Or, I will be honest, JEALOUS? It felt kind of lousy, even though I was there celebrating and supporting my husband’s music and drinking in the beautiful art surrounding me, deep in the pit of my belly, it hurt.

SO GUESS WHAT?????? Now I get to REALLY celebrate NOA the way it should be celebrated. For the first time.
I have to tell you, hopefully without sounding like a cocky-cockhead, I am really proud of myself. Yeah me!
AND
Thank you Denise, Chris R. and Sandra b/c I know you bugged Phil to let me in. And thanks Phil for listening to those three wise women.

NOW I BETTER START PAINTING OR I WON”T HAVE ANYTHING TO SHOW! YIKES!

Tickets available by contacting moi, maria@mariapcewynters.com for $25 each. (Free ACEO giclee of one my pieces for each ticket purchased.)

Come Hither

Come-Hither
5″x7″ mixed media painting on paper SOLD

Don’t Look _________

You looked!
OK, you can LOOK. HA, ha, that reminds me one of our favorite books. You know the one where Grover is telling you not to turn the page because there is a monster at the end of the book and it turns out that HE is the monster at the end of the book. No matter how many times I read that to my kids they still get a kick out of it.
ANYWAY!
Just having a little fun up in the loft today. Painting beautiful people.
Hope you like them. They were fun. Maybe I will do larger versions, these are just wee.(4″x6″)I-know-You-Want-to-
Don’t Look Away SOLD
Don't-Look-Down
Don’t Look Down SOLD